Mad Motives

When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.” “What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.” Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself. The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.” After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says, “They took the thirty pieces of silver—the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel, and purchased the potter’s field, as the Lord directed.” [Matthew 27.3-10]

I suppose at no point the leading priests and the elders had any concern about paying "thirty pieces of silver" to get Judas' to betray Jesus. If they were so knowledgeable of the scriptures and prophecies (particularly Zechariah 11.12-13), why wouldn't they have avoided paying the exact amount the prophet Zechariah prophesied? And if it wasn't enough to play into that scenario, why wouldn't these leading priests and elders have taken every precaution not to have bought the Potter's Field with that money?

One has to remember that the religious leaders of this particular time in history were highly knowledgeable of the scriptures. They were, in fact, experts in everything concerning the Law and the Prophets! The New Testament describes in many places that these religious leaders were meticulous in their 'splitting hairs' over anything scriptural.

So, again, why would they not catch themselves on the 'thirty pieces of silver' and even more so when combined with the Potter's Field?

I can only speculate that their anger and outrage at Jesus blinded them to every other bit of knowledge they had.

Lesson for the day: be careful about decisions made when angry! Mad motives can really backfire!

Father, I want to mindful of my own actions relative to what I know is true - particularly when in an emotional situation!